A Confusing Love
by darkly0divine
Summary: Cloud's confused...he loves Zack but is pushing Aeris to date him and is beginning to like Reno...whats gonna happen when Zack wants him? will he be with reno? will it be too late?
1. The Start

Disclaimer: i own nothing ._. if i did...zack wouldnt have died and the game would be rated...(psst whats higher than rated M?) lol :D

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I watched him. Sitting at a table, surrounded by our closest friends and all I could see was him sitting across from me flirting with almost every girl that came into the school cafeteria. I felt someone poke my side making me slightly jump, I turned to the redheaded Reno next to me and blushed a bit when he raised a red brow at me and smirked. I punched his bicep and praised myself when he hissed in pain and rubbed his now slightly red, pale skin and glared in my direction his dark blue eyes meeting my lighter blue ones. I grinned innocently and we shared a laugh.

"Cloud, just ask him out already" Reno poked my side again. I looked at the senior classmen that basically owned my affection. Zack Fair, spiky black hair, tanned skin, violet eyes that were unusually real and charisma that people labeled 'preppy' would envy. Zack was captain of the football team but was the complete opposite of the stereotypical label high school students were so willing to give. I sighed, grabbed Reno's arm and walked out of the cafeteria and walked toward the back of the school to get to the school roof. We got to the top and Reno stood expectantly.

"Reno, I can't just, ask him out" he snorted and sat down.

"Why not cloud, and don't give me a bullshit answer yo" it was my turn to snort and I took a seat next to him.

"He's just," I made a grabbing gesture with my hands and looked at them sadly "outta my reach, ya know? He's just, Zack I guess" Reno sighed and threw an arm around me.

"cloud, zack, like fucking worships you yo" I rolled my eyes "no strife seriously, it's always 'cloud this' or 'cloud that' getting kind of annoying but whatever, anyway, I have no doubt that he's into you" I sighed and leaned back a bit to see the cloudy skies that were commonly known as 'midgar clouds', thick and threating, and only in the midgar area.

"Ok, let's say he does like me like that, I mean, I'm not all that special compared to any other student here, if I had to say you or angeal had a better shot at him" Reno stayed silent for a bit.

"How are you not that special?" when I heard Reno's voice I turned to him to see is face contorted in mild shock and a little of anger hidden in his eyes, he took his arm from my shoulders. "your, like one of most," he paused and I assumed was looking for the right words "one of the most esteem challenged people I've ever met, and I met a shit load of people cloud" I brought my knees to my chest and laid my chin on them as I looked out in the distance, away from Reno "and I just don't understand why, your hot cloud, I mean why wouldn't he or any guy want you? Yeah, you don't have mega muscle but you've got more muscle then most guys here, me included. Your nice when you want to be and when you actually smile instead of those fake smiles people damn near melt yo," I looked at Reno, shocked that he was calling me out on stuff I hadn't even realized, and saw him glaring at the ground. "You're smart as hell and just an all-around good guy cloud and if you really wanted Zack you should just go and do it" he looked up at me and our eyes met. I saw sadness dwell in them, companioned by pain and resignation.

"Reno-"he cut me off and looked away into the distance

"Cloud, don't," he slowly shook his head "I've, accepted that I can't have you alright? But if I can't have you then, I want you with someone that you do want." I reached out to put my hand on his shoulder but stopped midway. I was, confused to say the least. How do I react when someone you've always confided in admits they wanted you? Similar questions plagued my mind but I brushed them to the side, Reno is one of my best friends, even if we didn't start out like that, and him liking me was unexpected but I felt sympathy for him, not because I don't feel the same, because given time I probably would, but I felt sympathy because I was so hung up on zack I sometimes forgot other people were around me and I hated people like that. I took my arm back but hugged him instead. The hug itself was awkwardly angled leaving Reno's arms trapped to his sides and my face buried in his shoulder but my body was left half twisted. I let go and we both looked at each other, then began laughing and holding our stomachs in pain.

"That was a horrible hug" I said in between the leftover giggle fit I was having. Reno calmed down and grinned at me.

"Yeah, but still, thanks" I grinned back and the bell for lunch to be over rang. We both groaned simultaneously when we realized that we had Mr. Hojo for science this period. We got up and dusted off the small pebbles and dirt off of our pants and dragged our feet toward class. We made it to class right as the bell rang.

"well, Mr. Strife so glad you could make it as could you Mr. Sinclair, now take your seats" Reno grabbed my arm and gently pulled me to my seat in the back behind him. After the first couple minutes of class a note landed on my desk. I looked at the note confused and looked at who had thrown it to me. I saw Zack smiling and waving at me. I opened the note wondering what he wanted.

'Where did u n Reno go lunch?'

'Had to ask him somethin' I quickly scribbled my message and passed it back. Not any sooner then I passed it, the note came back.

'Like what?'

'Some stuff :p' I wasn't about to tell him that we were discussing him

'aww I wanna be asked toooooo'

'Shut up zack :p'

'fine, be like that then ;p anyway…'

'anyway?'

'I was wondering something' my heart started to beat a bit faster

'what's up?'

'do you think that aeris likes me? :D' of course, aeris, the chestnut haired girl that liked to wear her long pink dress with her brown jacket and pink hair ribbon and her eyes a perfect green. She was one of the sweetest girls ever and loved being around both me and Zack. It was only natural Zack would fall for her and maybe her for him.

'yeah, probably y?' my face fell, I knew it did as I gave the note to the guy between us.

'I was gonna ask her out tonite….u ok? were you planin on asking her?' shit. He noticed.

'nah, wat makes u say that? She's not even my type u know that :P' when the note didn't come back I looked over at Zack who looked at the note, then me, then back to the note and wrote his response.

'idk. Just seemed like u were really sad for a sec...n oh yeah huh lol ur more into the manly men section of women lol'

'again, shut up Zack :P'

'ok then grumpy :P so, who's the guy?'

'zack…I don't think you want to go there lol'

'y not?'

'you're straight Zack :P stick to girls'

'I not straight cloud o.o who told you that?' I looked at the paper and zack in a similar fashion as him when he had done it.

"What!" the whole class jumped and they all started to turn to me as well as the teacher and Reno.

"Mr. Strife, I will not have yelling in my classroom now, either you can answer this question wrong and go see the principal or you can just go" I gritted my teeth and glared at him.

"the answers 27" I grabbed my stuff roughly and stormed out of the classroom pissed off, not at hojo, he could go fuck himself but knowing him he'd probably enjoy it, but I was mad at Zack. I've known him for damn near 5 years and why hadn't he told me he was bi? It's not like it would have mattered at all. I heard hurried footsteps behind me and I turned around to see none other than Aeris running up toward me.

"hey, what are you doing out of class?" I didn't have it in me to be mean to her. It wasn't her fault that I didn't know about Zack or that he wanted her and not me.

"got kicked out because," 'does she know?' I thought "what are you doing out here wondering the halls?" I changed the subject to avoid telling her something she may or may not have known of.

"I'm an office aid this period remember? Here, I'll walk with you, I don't feel like going back just yet" I nodded and we just roamed the halls talking about school, movies, books anything and everything really. We just had that connection that I didn't have with even Reno, and I liked that I could talk to all of my friends about something rather than just one friend who's dealing with his own issues. "hey, cloud?"

"yeah?" she didn't answer and I looked at her as she stared at the polished floors of the halls.

"Zack he, he asked me out earlier," I nodded and looked away when she looked at me "I told him no" I stopped abruptly and almost tripped. She said no?

"you, you told Zack no to a date? Why? I thought you liked him?"

"it's not fair to you" oh aeris.

"look, my" I moved my wrist in a circular motion looking for the right word "obsession with a certain black-haired boy shouldn't stop you from going out with him, it doesn't bother me," yes it does "I think you guys would be good together, maybe you could mellow him out" I ended laughing at the lame attempt of a joke.

"Cloud," she took my hands into her even tinier olive skinned ones, he bracelet jumping a bit as she moved "you are not obsessed with Zack, you're in love with him there's a difference" I snorted and she ignored it "I don't want to stand in the way of that and hurt you even more than you really are" I looked at her green eyes and saw determination to get me to see what she sees and her sincerity. I gave her a small smile.

"it's okay, please, just text him or call him and tell him you changed your mind" I took my hands back and held one up when she started to protest "if I love him I should want him happy right? And it would make him very happy to go on a date with you right?" I asked using her own words against her. She frowned and nodded slowly. "Ok then" the bell rang and students began flooding the halls toward the exits. "I gotta go, call me and let me know how it goes ok?" she gave me a hug and told me she would before I walked off. I made it outside and to my motorcycle, to finally leave the school and head to my usual spot. While leaving the student lot I saw Zack smiling widely at aeris and I sped out onto the road determined to not let Zack's new found attraction to aeris bother me. I was happy for him, for her, they'd be great together and as long as I continued to tell myself that it didn't bother me I and aeris knew it did and I didn't want it to. But the blow was softened when aeris told me she rejected him because of me, at the very least if I couldn't get over Zack I'd rather him be happy, and if it means being with her, then so be it.

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**Hey guys :) here i am with yet another story haha :D so as always leave a review or PM me and tell me what you think :) itd be greatly appreciated (sp? lol) also i updated my profile so check that out too! :)**

**-remember, keep to the dar and stay divine ;)-**


	2. Zack's Date

Hey :D look a new chapter! AND ITS LONGER THAT CHAPTER ONE FINALLY! haha sorry im just really proud of myself for it :) anyway so as you can see its Zack's POV right now :D let me know how i did mkay?

Disclaimer- i own no nothing T-T

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-Zack-

"WHAT?" I jumped and just like the rest of the class turned to look at Cloud. Before I could recover and talk to him Hojo had already kicked him out and ignored his correct answer to his question.

"Zackary, please answer the question" I rolled my eyes.

"27"

"good, at least someone is paying attention in this class" when he turned around to continue writing on the board I flipped him off making a couple of girls giggle at me as like the few guys that snorted and nodded in agreement with my gesture. The bell rang and I ran from the class looking for Cloud but the sea of students was too hard to pass through and I ended up in the school parking lot. I grumbled to myself about asshole students being all asshole-y until I noticed Aeris leaning against the orange and yellowed leafed tree on the grassy area around the parking lot where a good majority of students like to hang out.

"Hey Aer" I smiled as I walked up to her, determined to take her out tonight.

"Zack" she smiled and nodded in greeting before she turned at the sound of a motorcycle leaving the lot and barley catching the back half of the bike before the rider sped away. I frowned at the spot where the rider was 'that looked like Cloud's bike'. "Hey, Zack?" Aeris asked when she turned back to face me.

"Hmm?" I said distractedly

"About that date tonight," my neck snapped toward her from the parking lot entrance/exit and my eyes went a bit wider in anticipation. "I changed my mind, I'll go" she smiled at me and I grinned back.

"Yes! I promise Aer, you won't regret it" I picked her up and spun her around making both me and her dizzy in the process. I put her back down on two feet "how does the carnival sound?"

"Cliché, but that alright" we both laughed "alright Zack, come to my house around 7-ish and we'll go okay?"

"I'll be there" I gave her one last grin before she walked to her brother Genesis's car. He glared at me and I glared right back at him. We put on a façade whenever Cloud's around that we like each other, when we hate each other. Why we, well why I do it is because I don't want Cloud to feel like he has to decide between friends. Me and Genesis don't like each other for many reasons, one being that ideas frequently clash about some subjects. A frequent subject we come across when we're pretending to be civil is in fact his obsession with LOVELESS. He tries to make it his life mission to completely understand the damn play when I'd just say screw it and proceed to tell him how much I don't give a damn. I got in my car finally and left the lot excited for tonight. When I got home I had remembered about the Hojo incident to which my excitement glowered a bit but I grabbed my phone and decided to call Cloud and ask him what was wrong. The first time I called I got his voicemail, second time he hung up on me, third time I called his house and his little brother Roxas answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, hey Roxas its Zack, Cloud home?"

"Uh, yeah he's home" we sat in silence for a few minutes

"Well, can I talk to him?" I asked slowly

"he-" Roxas got cut off by Cloud "what Zack?"

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Zack why wouldn't I be?"

"Well I mean you kinda were extremely surprised I'm bi and kinda glared at me before you left" the line went silent and I took my phone from my ear to check if he had hung up on me. When I saw he didn't, I put it back to my ear.

"It was a shock, that's all" I snorted

"Yeah, that explains the yelling now what about the glaring thing? Are you mad at-" and that's when I realized that when Cloud came out he was gay I was the first person he went to but, I didn't go to him. "Shit"

"Seems like you've figured it out"

"Isn't this a bit over the top? I'm sorry that I didn't come to you first, I don't know why I didn't"

"Whatever Zack, I'll see you tomorrow"

"Hey! Wai-" the dial tone greeted me "dammit" I looked at the time and noticed it was close to 6:30. I yelled down the stairs to my parents that I was taking Aer out to the carnival tonight and that I was leaving at 7 before I got into the shower. When I got out I hurriedly got into my black jeans, dark blue button up with all the buttons not in the holes, a plain white shirt and my black shoes. Before I could get out the house my dad called me into the living room. "Yeah?"

"So who's going tonight?" he asked, scratching his slight stubble on his jaw.

"Just me and Aeris, why?"

"Cloud's not going?" I chuckled

"It's a date dad, and besides I don't like cloud that way pop" he frowned and my mother came in.

"He'd be good for you" I groaned and rolled my eyes

"Good bye parents who wish to make me late" I ran out the house and into my car before they could say anything else. When I was safely in my car and driving to Aeris I started to ponder what my parents were talking about. Like what did they mean when they had said 'he would be good for me'? Is there something wrong with me? I sighed and pulled over and put my face into my hands. People say tell me that me and Cloud would be a great couple and we should be together but I just feel like that toward my best friend, do I? I shook my head, if I'm starting to question myself how can I expect others to believe me. My phone vibrated and I saw it was a message from Aeris saying she'd be outside in 5 minutes. I was about to put the phone down but it vibrated again this time telling me I had a text from Cloud. My heart started to beat a little bit faster before I finally opened the message.

'Srry about earlier. A lot to deal w/ 2day. Not mad c u 1st.'

I stared at the message and contemplating on texting him back.

'I'm still srry bout not tellin u frst , but I'll call u wen I gt hm frm the carnival w/ Aeris k?'

As soon as I pushed send I knew I made a mistake sending that, I'm not sure how or why I felt so bad taking out Aeris when I've hardly hung out with Cloud as of late but it just felt like things between the two of us were changing for the better or worse I couldn't tell. I pulled away from the curb after the phone vibrated, I couldn't look at the message he replied with and I couldn't muster up my signature grin for Aeris when she got into the car, so I settled for a small smile and the gnawing feeling in my stomach something was going to happen that I didn't like. When we made it to the carnival luckily it was as packed as I thought it would be so we decided to hit the booths before the actual rides. As time trickled by so did the people and by 8:45 Aeris and I had been on almost every ride and I had almost been arrested when I beat up a drunk guy harassing a mother and her two crying children, to which Aeris calmed them down and gave each of them a stuffed animal I had one for her. After that the security guards allowed me to discipline the drunks that were harming, close to harming or were verbally abusing women and children but before I actually got to work Aeris dragged me onto the Ferris wheel, that had not stopped leaving us at the top but had broken down, so we sat in silence a few short minutes until a question had unintentionally exploded from my mouth.

"Do you think me and Cloud could become a couple?" not even a second after I asked the question Aeris answered confidently and without hesitation.

"Yes I do" I stared at her and she stared right back her eyes lit up. I looked straight ahead again and leaned back in the cracked plush material covered seat and sighed.

"not you too" I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, not in frustration with her but of myself of bringing up the damned question on a date, with Aeris no less.

"Zack, what's wrong with dating Cloud? Is it that your just not used to dating guys?"

"there's nothing wrong with him it's just I don't feel that way about him, look I know I'm the one that brought it up but can we just drop it?" she gave a smile and hugged me.

"I'm not trying to pressure you into Zack, if you honestly didn't like him I wouldn't push you but I can see just like everyone else except Cloud that you feel something for him." I stayed silent again thinking about my relationship with Cloud. I liked him, sure, as my best friend but really liking him more than that is possible. Lately I've been thinking more of him, with the exception of today, and it isn't entirely uncommon that I've thought of what it would be like to kiss him but I just assumed that it was me just being a hormonal teenager. A question popped into my head from my mom.

"How would Cloud be good for me?" Aeris let go and grinned at me, which looked beautiful on her showing that she was happy I was actually contemplating my feelings for my best friend.

"well, he'd be good for you in the sense that he may be the one to actually love you for you," I shifted in my seat when she mentioned 'love', ever since I started dating whenever I told the guy or girl I dated 'I love you' they'd tell me that they 'loved me too' but then I'd find them with someone else either kissing or other things so lately I haven't given the thought of loving someone lightly "and for Cloud he may even gain some sense of self-worth that he needs" I nodded in agreement and imagined myself making Cloud laugh, making him Smile and kissing him finally "Zack? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, what makes you think I'm not?"

"Well, you kinda just," the Ferris wheel lurched before stopping again "as I was saying, you just started smiling for no reason" I was still smiling.

"Maybe you're right about the liking Cloud thing but I'm still not convinced" I saw Aeris physically slouch in sadness "but, I'm also willing to actually think about my feelings for him" she shot up and hugged me again and I laughed "why are we discussing Cloud on our date?" Aeris bit her lip.

"He's kinda the reason why we're even here," I looked at her confused "he convinced me to come" I grinned

"Then I'll have to thank him" the Ferris wheel lurched again making us stop on the side of it. "This is a piece of sh-crap Ferris wheel" I caught myself before I cussed in front of Aeris.

"Zack you know I don't mind when you curse" she giggled and I shrugged.

"I don't like cussing in front of you"

"Reno does"

"Remind me to castrate him tomorrow"

"Sure thing" I looked at her surprised "I'm kidding Zack" I laughed nervously and inconspicuously scooted away and demanded the wheel to let me off.

"Ha ha yeah, I, I knew that" she rolled her eyes and finally the Ferris wheel started to turn and we got off not a moment later. I check my watch and was both surprised and pissed off "they kept us up there for nearly an hour!"

"What time is it?"

"10:28" Aeris gasped grabbed my arm and ran us toward the car.

"What's up?" I asked her struggling to avoid the smaller kids.

"I told my parents id be back by nine!" I picked her up and ran the rest of the way to the car tired of being dragged

"I don't see why they don't just get you a phone" I put her don't by the passenger side door. She hopped in and I slid over the hood and jumped into the driver's seat.

"Can I use your phone?" she asked and I gave it to her forgetting it was still open to my conversation with cloud. As I drove I looked over at her when she was done talking to see her reading something.

"Aer?" silence "Aer." More silence "AERIS!" she jumped a little in her seat and looked at me nervously "what are you reading?" she shook her head.

"Nothing important"

"Uh huh yeah sure, seriously what are you reading?" she stayed quiet again until we pulled up in front of her house.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow okay? And say hi to Cloud for me!" she said in a rush before leaving me momentarily confused. Then I remembered my conversation with Cloud and groaned before slamming my head on the steering wheel. Now she really thinks that I want to be with him, great. I pulled away from the curb and began driving to the quiet in my car to my house, until I remembered Aeris said 'say hi to Cloud for me', I wasn't going to his house I was going to text him. I pulled over and checked the message he sent last.

'Just come ovr, going to sleep at 11 and u knw we text forever -.- I need zzzz'

I laughed and texted him back.

'Got stuck on stupid ass Ferris wheel that broke dwn, just dropped Aer off, stll wnt me 2 come ovr?'

I pushed send and waited for his reply, not a few seconds later Cloud texted back.

'Sux for u :p, if you wanna idc bt i mite as well bring clothes to change in the morning 4 skool'

I texted him back okay and drove home to get my stuff. Maybe spending the night with Cloud would be good and I could finally figure out if I had feelings for him or not. I got to my house and headed straight for my room and grabbed my clothes for school. I popped my head into the living room.

"I'm going to Clouds to spend the night guys" my parents face's lit up and I inwardly groaned

"ok, have fun!" my dad yelled when I made it outside. I turned and looked through the window and saw my overly excited parents talk about something before my mom ran to the kitchen to use the house phone. My right eye twitched in annoyance before I took off in my car to Cloud's house.

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So how was it? good, bad, horrible, die in a hole worthy? let me know :D i need reviews people -3- i thankk the TWO people who did actually review and the ONE perso who is following this story :D you guys rock! but in order to get chapter three i nedd at least 6-7 reviews :( im sorry but i need to know if im just waisting my time or not doing this o.e...anyway yeah :D oh if you couldnt tell Angeal is Zacks dad and for some odd reason i pictured an older tifa as his mom... long author's note is long...so again yeah :D bye for now!

-remember keep to the dark, and stay divine ;)-


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